


The Ultimatum

by jean_bo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 20:40:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15372885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jean_bo/pseuds/jean_bo
Summary: Adam closes his eyes.Allows the fire of disbelief to flow through his veins.Clenches a fist around the page in his hand.Takes one breath.Two.He waits.





	The Ultimatum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aflightlesscrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aflightlesscrow/gifts).



> I just thrive in angst.  
> Shout out to aflightlesscrow for encouraging me to write fic and purge my emotions. Plus she gave me the title because I can't do titles to save my life.

Before, he is burning.

Adam closes his eyes.

Allows the fire of disbelief to flow through his veins.

Clenches a fist around the page in his hand.

Takes one breath.

Two.

Three.

Four.

He waits.

 

It is eleven minutes and fifty-two seconds after he discovers the one pager that Shiro comes home. 

He’s humming today, the same tune he was humming yesterday and the day before.

Past Shiro says, _“It just won’t get out of my head, Adam! Stop looking at me like that!”_

Present Shiro continues to hum. He’s so happy in this moment. It’s been a rare thing lately.

Adam doesn’t want to do this. He doesn’t want to fight. He wants to go back in time and live in this morning. Live in runny omelets and burned pancakes and a promise of a lazy Saturday morning.

But that is not what will happen today. 

It won’t happen any other day, either. Not if Shiro goes through with this, not if he _leaves._

And he can’t leave. He can’t. 

Shiro won’t survive.

Neither will he.

So Adam turns around. 

Shiro’s illness a bomb in his arsenal, the paper in hand acting as a sword to help him fight his battle. One he cannot lose, will not lose. 

Adam will stand firm on this one point. It is something he believes in whole heartedly.

He turns around, takes in Shiro’s happiness, takes a moment to hope this isn’t the last time he sees it, takes a breath, and says, “When were you going to tell me about the Kerberos mission?”

Shiro freezes, like he knows he’s done something wrong.

“How did you-” Adam holds up the paper like it’s the Holy Grail itself and that’s all it takes for Shiro to pause, at least for a moment, before continuing, “Where did you find that?”

Adam counters with, “When were you going to tell me?”

His own wounds gaping open, he cannot take the time to pause and see the hurt in Shiro’s eyes. Knows he’ll waver if he does. He’d allow the softness to he’ll undoubtedly find in them to ruin the careful defense he has spent the last eleven-almost twelve-minutes building up. 

“You leave in five days! Less than a week!” The words are ripped from his throat, loud and raw, before he asks much more quietly, “When were you going to tell me? The day you left?”

Maybe if he wasn’t so busy rubbing the tears from his eyes, he would have seen Shiro rub the tears from his as well. Maybe things would have gone differently. Maybe he would have softened. Maybe.

But that’s not what happens. All Adam sees is Shiro’s frustration and desperation a solid brick wall against his own.

It comes quickly after that.

Attack, attack, defend, _blame._

“You’ll die if you go!”

“I’ll die even if I don’t!”

How can Adam explain, how can he make Shiro see that if he stays, they have a chance of finding a cure? Of testing medicines? Of spending time together? Doesn’t he want that too? To spend the rest of their lives together? However long or short?

“Shiro, how much do you love me?”

“Adam, please, it’s my _dream.”_

And that’s it, isn’t it? 

Adam rips his heart out so Shiro does not have to. 

“Don’t expect me to be here when you get back.”

 

After, he is cold.

The fire of disbelief melted in to the cool realization that Shiro is gone. 

From his life, from this earth, from every place Adam can reach him. 

He’d always thought that if this were to happen Shiro would be dead in his arms. 

But he isn’t.

He’s just gone.

 

He sits in his room, by himself, the day Shiro leaves. Head resting on arms resting on knees. He hasn’t moved in hours.

They haven’t spoken a word to each other in five days. Not since the fight.

Looking at the clock, he promises himself for the nth time that he will not leave until the shuttle that is going to take Shiro away from the earth is gone, for fear of running out and apologizing.

Of fruitlessly begging Shiro.

(Of what, he does not know. To stay? For forgiveness? To take Adam with him?)

Adam watches the clock tick.

When Shiro comes back, they’ll have time. There will be time. He will apologize and things will get better.

 

After, he is numb.

He tells himself that this would have happened eventually.

Whether or not Adam was by his side.

Shiro’s death was always in the cards.

He tells himself it was inevitable.

Foretold by the universe.

Painted in the stars.

He’d prepared for this.

He tells himself that one day the pain will be gone.

(It does not help.)

He takes one breath.

Two.

Three.

Four.

He waits.


End file.
